. >> reporter: after weeks that reenergized republicans and reinvigorated the race, president obama is trying to blunt mitt romney's momentum embracing friday's encouraging economic news. >> we learned that the unemployment rate is now at its lowest level since i took office. more americans are entering the workforce. more americans are getting jobs. >> but romney hasn't ceded any ground, attacking failed policies that have stifled growth. >> the participation of our adults in the workforce were the same as at the time he got elected our unemployment rate would be 11%. >> reporter: both are touting the fund-raising tallies. $181 million for obama in september, the most for either side this year. with romney collecting more than 12 million following the debate. >> both sides will have a tremendous amount of money down the final stretch of this campaign, particularly that obama $181 million. that's going to allow them potentially to compete almost one to one with all of that republican outside money. >> reporter: still, romney is facing lingering questions about some of his recent assert